Be sure to overload your 40 year old vehicle the you haven't performed any work on in the last 20 years. Oh and be sure the tires are under-inflated, don't bother to check the oil or other fluids. And if you're a die hard dead head with an old air cooled hippie bus? It's perfectly O.K. to run the thing balls out during the heat of the day.

scruffyboy wrote:Be sure to overload your 40 year old vehicle the you haven't performed any work on in the last 20 years. Oh and be sure the tires are under-inflated, don't bother to check the oil or other fluids. And if you're a die hard dead head with an old air cooled hippie bus? It's perfectly O.K. to run the thing balls out during the heat of the day.

Just a quickie on cars (..in cars..? )
The crew and I are all virgins - we understand to have a very well maintained car and to take care of it while at the Burn...but I have heard horror stories about dust damage in engine blocks etc.

I was wondering if someone could give me a good idea about what to expect as far as "normal" damage to vehicles and how to avoid it or prevent it.

Love love
xoxo

And here you are hurried,
And here you are gone;
And here is the love,
That it's all built upon.
May everyone live,
And may everyone die.
Hello, my love,
And my love, Goodbye
-L.Cohen

Well. Lover, there is a search function on eplaya. It's in the middle of the first line of orange type at the top of the page. It's kinda frustrating, but you could try "engine" as a search term and limit it to the Q&A, Tips and Tricks sub-forum. I'm sure that you would find lots of information. No need to bump up a failed joke thread and cause admin to grit its teeth.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

Just a quickie on cars (..in cars..? ) The crew and I are all virgins - we understand to have a very well maintained car and to take care of it while at the Burn...but I have heard horror stories about dust damage in engine blocks etc.

I was wondering if someone could give me a good idea about what to expect as far as "normal" damage to vehicles and how to avoid it or prevent it.

Love lovexoxo

I drove my 2003 Ford Focus out there last year, it wasn't super crazy well cared for. Usual 3000 mile oil changes, keeping fluids topped up, etc. It did fine getting out there and back. There was no damage, just dirt and dust. I was lazy and broke when I got back so I didn't do any maintenance, drove it another 10,000 miles and last week finally did post-playa maintenance (oil change, new air/oil filters, fluids, etc). Again, I'm extremely lazy

Getting there and back was fine. It didn't even mind hanging out on the playa getting coated in lovely dust. On the monday, I even used it to jump start my camp mates' trucks.

Just give it a thorough wash when you get back to get the dust off before it corodes, and do your normal 3,000 mile maintenance, and you should be find (in my opinion)

Walk tall, kick ass, learn to speak Arabic, love music and never forget you come from a long line of truth seekers, lovers and warriors.

theCryptofishist wrote:Well. Lover, there is a search function on eplaya. It's in the middle of the first line of orange type at the top of the page. It's kinda frustrating, but you could try "engine" as a search term and limit it to the Q&A, Tips and Tricks sub-forum. I'm sure that you would find lots of information. No need to bump up a failed joke thread and cause admin to grit its teeth.

Just a quickie on cars (..in cars..? ) The crew and I are all virgins - we understand to have a very well maintained car and to take care of it while at the Burn...but I have heard horror stories about dust damage in engine blocks etc.

I was wondering if someone could give me a good idea about what to expect as far as "normal" damage to vehicles and how to avoid it or prevent it.

Love lovexoxo

A well maintained vehicle should do fine. I drive 3000Km (1800+ Miles) 1-way from Canada and my vehicle has never been damaged. If you really want to baby your vehicle, bring a new Air Filter (keep it in a sealed plastic bag) and change out your air filter after you leave the playa. Dust will be everywhere, just go with it...

I suspect the "horror stories" are from older vehicles, that may not have been 100% maintained properly. Old stuff tends to break when stressed - the playa is trying to Kill us, and anything we bring.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

Love Rice

Roach: "I feel like in this day and age, every girl should know how to build a flamethrower."

Small story from Danger Ranger who I believe has been to every burn ever... He told me he's run cars out there with NO air filter lotsa times with no issues. I think the playa dust messes up your air filter itself more than your engine. Granted, he was using 1960s simple vehicles not computerized fuel injected stuff.

GreyCoyote: "At this rate it wont be long before he is Admiral Fukkit."Delle: Singularly we may be dysfunctional misfits, but together we're magic.

I'm not an expert when it comes to mechanics, but I do know some stuff... Seems to me like the playa dust would still be abrasive enough to score and damage cylinder walls? Not enough to kill an engine, but not good for it either...